A serious case of "watch this space"... our intention was always to have a small cafe area but the challenges of running such a large and varied shop has prevented much progress, but the venture is not without support. A new cafe has just sprung up in town (non Fairtrade/Organic) and the Barista Sisters continues to satisfy the needs of those seeking a decent ethical coffee drinking environment, and the question is whether the work, cost, space and efforts involved in having a small seating area in the shop would pay dividends. We are open to ideas!

With respects to the coffee/tea's we stock in the shop, the coffee mainly comes from Smiths Coffee Company down the road in Hemel Hempstead, where the coffee is also roasted. The coffee is branded as The Natural Coffee Company and is all Organic and Fairtrade.

One of the most interesting lines they make is the Swiss Water Process decaffeinated premium arabica coffee, which uses water filtration instead of carcenogenic chemicals to remove the caffeine. To see a fun video of how the process click here or download a pdf .

We currently still stock some lines from the London Tea Company. Apart from supplying a full range of 100% Organic and Fairtrade teas, their boxes have also been created with sustainability in mind.

* Each box is hand-folded using the art of origami, eliminating the need for adhesives and artificial packaging.
* A carefully created biodegradable pouch retains the freshness of your tea.
* Tea bags are free of strings, tags and staples, reducing unnecessary waste.
* Tea bags have been oxygen treated, unlike commonly used chlorine bleached bags. Therefore your cup of tea remains free of impurities.

A forthcoming addition will be a range of gourmet loose leaf teas from Suki Tea, which are all Organic and many Fairtrade, including their Belfast Breakfast Blend.

And of course chocolate lovers will be forever satisfied by the simply glorious Montezuma Uno (dark), Dos (Chilli) and Tres (Nutmeg) drinking chocolate range.